SCIENTIST: California's Crazy Drought Could Last More Than 100 Years

The remains of an
automobile is pictured on the bottom of the Almaden Reservoir
near San Jose, California January 21, 2014.REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Scientists who have studied dry periods in California from the
past millennium are warning that the scorching drought could last
for over a hundred years.

California is currently experiencing one of its driest periods
since 1580, University of California, Berkeley scientist Lynn
Ingram
told CBS News this week. Looking back at the past several
thousand years reveals that some droughts in California have
lasted more than a century.

Ingram has been examining sediments, tree rings, and
microorganisms to learn about California's temperature patterns
and historical droughts. She
told National Geographic last month that the 20th century
might have been an anomaly and notes that, going back in history,
California has been much drier and has even seen periods of
mega-drought.

In medieval times, Ingram says, California and the Southwest saw
a drought that lasted over a century.

She told CBS that these patterns "tend to repeat themselves" and
that we can expect decades-long droughts to happen again.

With the huge multi-billion dollar agriculture industry in
California, a mega-drought could be catastrophic. The state has
already seen some negative effects on its agriculture
business — some ranchers have been forced to kill off
herds they can't feed without native grass, and farmers are
struggling to grow crops.

About 95% of the state is experiencing the drought.

The possible mega-drought would likely affect all of the
southwest, according to research that was presented at
the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting in December.
Climate Central
reports that there's no indication the drought is letting up
anytime soon.